Shimano Open

(by Pete)
We went to Cerro Catederal today to watch the Shimano Open mountain bike event. When we got there the kids were racing in the downhill event. At the end of the course, where we were watching, there was basically a sand trap for the riders. They came over the top of the hill (usually airborne) and had to deal with a steep, rutted decline with deep sand. Many tried to proceed cautiously at this point by reducing their speed, I suppose to avoid going over the handle bars when their front wheel sank into the soil. Many crashed at this point and disappeared into a cloud of dust. (No rain here for the last month, so all is very dusty.). The advanced riders launched themselves down this section without hesitation or brakes. In fact, they seemed to pick up speed as they approached the bottom.